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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pound — a weight
  5. key — in music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rock — music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — rain
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com